Westin Questions

[mrcell.livejournal.com]

I have a reservation at the Westin for 2012 Dragon*Con. I've never stayed there, so I looked at somme of the rating sites to see what other people think of it. The reviews are mixed, but I was surprised to see how many bad reviews there are recently. The complaints included stained carpets, dirty sheets, frayed and worn furnishings, loud air conditioning, bad TV reception, shaky elevators, and lousy housekeeping. I take internet reviews with a grain of salt, since you never know what's really motivating the posters. But, the number of recent bad reviews bothers me. So, here's a few questions for those who have stayed there:

1. How was the housekeeping? Was your room cleaned well and in a timely manner? This is the most important one to me.
2. Was the TV reception bad? I'd like to have decent reception for Dragon*Con TV.
3. Did your room look shabby? Were there stains on the carpet and furniture? Did it smell like mildew? Many of the complaints focused on a bad odor in the room.
4. What was your experience with the elevators? Did you have a long wait to get one? What floor was your room on?
5. In general, what did you think of the hotel and the staff? There were almost no complaints about the staff, except for the valet parking, which I won't be using.

Finally, on TripAdvisor, many of the recent bad reviews had received a personal response from the Westin's Guest Relations Manager. She, of course apologized for the problems. She stated several times that the hotel was overdue for a renovation and would be getting one, starting later this year, with new furnishings, carpets, and TVs. I can't find any announcement about that on the internet. Does anyone know if that's a sure thing? If so, I wonder if it'll be finished in time for D*C. Could on going revovation cause an "over booking" situation like the one at the Hyatt this year? :-O

Thanks in advance for any replies!

Comments

[richardlt.livejournal.com]

Now, on to some other things related to the Westin:

[See my comment in your other thread for cell phone signal issues.]

I don't know about any planned renovations, but they did just finish completely replacing all the windows in the hotel due some of them being destroyed in the 2008 tornado that went through downtown. And let me tell you, I was getting a bit nervous after finding out we were under a tornado warning on Sunday night, going into Monday. Hearing the wind whip around that tower is a little unsettling. Not sure if there are any further interior renovations planned or not.

People also like to complain about the walk from the Westin to the Hyatt, but I don't mind it at all. About half can be done in air-conditioned comfort, while tall buildings offer shade for some of the other half. See my post here for a very detailed description of the "shortcut" AC route:
http://xiandesi.livejournal.com/22771.html?thread=115955#t115955

The Westin does offer a $5 coupon if you hang the placard up that declines new linens. They cheated me for about half my days this year, but it's not worth fighting more. I guess it is a nice incentive if you don't need a lot of maid service, and want to help the environment.

Bottom line, it's a perfectly fine hotel if you want to stay in a host hotel. However, I probably wouldn't stay here if I had to pay even the discounted con rate. Using Hotwire, I can get it for about half the con rate. At that price, the Westin is very much a good choice if you don't mind the walk. It might not be if you have a lot of big, hot costumes, or like to party a lot. It might also depend on if your fandom interest align with the programming tracks held there.

[mrcell.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the detailed reply!

I've been debating whether to ask for a high floor when I check in (if they'll let me choose). If the elevator wait wouldn't be too long, I think I'd like to be up where I'd have an impressive view. Of course, even the 29th floor could offer a good view, depending on the side of the hotel. How was your view?

I won't be using the valet parking because I'm not bringing my car downtown. I live just outside the city in DeKalb County. A friend will be dropping me off on Thursday. Then, on Saturday he'll park in the Lindbergh station's long term parking deck and take MARTA to join me for the last three days of the Con. I'll take MARTA back with him to his car when the Con's over. We did that this year and everything went smoothly. I had originally planned to take MARTA down each day and head back to the house each night, but decided getting a hotel room was worth it to avoid having to drag home late at night when I'm a little the worse for wear.

I'm with you on having no trouble with the walk from the Westin to the Hyatt. I did it several times this year, using the Food Court cut through that you describe. I also walked up hill from the Sheraton to the Westin twice and had no trouble with that either. Of course, each time I did it fairly early in the day, before I got too tired.

This year, I stayed at a non-host hotel that was just a short walk from the Westin. I got up early each day and headed out for breakfast, then on to the first panel I'd picked. I didn't return to the room until bed time, so I'm not too worried about the panel crowds causing me elevator difficulties. I do like to find fresh towels waiting for me in the room and a bed that's been made, so I will be using the housekeeping service.

Thanks again for all the advice!

[richardlt.livejournal.com]

My view in 2010 was pretty good. It looked east out over Peachtree street, so I could look down on the parade as it passed by. However, the angle was REALLY bad, and some of the street was blocked as I recall. My view in 2011 was urban city scape with boring box buildings and air-conditioning units. Don't know what direction it was, but I think it was toward the south.

I just ran across my $5 voucher coupons that I forgot to use. While I can't make out the scribbled over the room number, I think it was room 2220 for last year and room 2914 for this year. I love the MARTA trick, and did it for the first time this year.

The one time I did the walk from the Sheraton to the Westin, I nearly died, and swore never to do it again. You have my sympathy and respect, though you're probably in far better shape than me. I'd rather walk extra far out of my way by going up to the Hilton and through the hotels via the AC people tubes than ever walk up that hill again. The long way gives me a chance to people watch and take pictures of all the cool costumes.